U.S. patent number 7,222,502 [Application Number 11/044,270] was granted by the patent office on 2007-05-29 for expansion valve.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Fujikoki Corporation. Invention is credited to Kazuto Kobayashi, Makoto Sudo, Kazuhiko Watanabe.
United States Patent |
7,222,502 |
Kobayashi , et al. |
May 29, 2007 |
Expansion valve
Abstract
The invention provides an improved structure for assembling
components in an expansion valve used in air conditioners. An
expansion valve body 30 has a valve chamber 35 and a passage 32
through which refrigerant from a compressor enters. The refrigerant
passing through a flow path between a valve means 32b and an
orifice 32a is sent through a passage 321 toward an evaporator. The
refrigerant returning from the evaporator passes through a passage
34 and flows toward the compressor. A power element 36 operates the
valve means 32b in response to the thermal load of the evaporator
and controls the flow rate of refrigerant. The lower end of a
spring 32d disposed within the valve chamber 35 and biasing the
valve means 32b toward the orifice 32a is supported by a sealing
member 150 that is inserted to an opening 35a of the valve chamber
and fixed to position via a crimping portion K.sub.1.
Inventors: |
Kobayashi; Kazuto (Tokyo,
JP), Watanabe; Kazuhiko (Tokyo, JP), Sudo;
Makoto (Tokyo, JP) |
Assignee: |
Fujikoki Corporation (Tokyo,
JP)
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Family
ID: |
34697926 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/044,270 |
Filed: |
January 28, 2005 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20050178152 A1 |
Aug 18, 2005 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Feb 13, 2004 [JP] |
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2004-036866 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
62/527 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25B
41/31 (20210101); F25B 2341/0683 (20130101); F25B
2500/21 (20130101); F25B 2500/01 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F25B
41/06 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;62/210,222,527
;236/92B |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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10-325479 |
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Dec 1998 |
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JP |
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2000-241048 |
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Sep 2000 |
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JP |
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2000-304381 |
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Nov 2000 |
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JP |
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Primary Examiner: Ali; Mohammad M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Rader, Fishman & Grauer
PLLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An expansion valve comprising: a valve body; a power element
portion disposed on an upper end of the valve body for actuating a
valve means in response to a displacement of a diaphragm; and a
spring disposed within a valve chamber formed to a lower end of the
valve body for adjusting a valve opening of the valve means, the
valve chamber having an opening formed thereinto, the opening being
defined by a circumferential edge portion of the valve body at the
lower end of the valve body, wherein the spring is supported by a
sealing member inserted into the valve chamber and the sealing
member is fixed to the valve body by crimping the circumferential
edge portion.
2. The expansion valve according to claim 1, further having a
stepped portion formed to the opening of the valve chamber in the
valve body, and the sealing member is inserted to the stepped
portion and fixed to position via the crimping portion.
3. The expansion valve according to claim 2, wherein the sealing
member has a tapered surface that is pressed against the stepped
portion of the valve chamber.
4. The expansion valve according to claim 2, further comprising a
seal, wherein the sealing member includes a circumferential groove
formed radially into a circumferential surface of the sealing
member, the seal being sized to be received by the circumferential
groove in a close-fitting manner such that, when the sealing member
with the seal received by the circumferential groove is fixed to
the valve body, the seal contacts a circumferential inner wall
surface of the valve chamber.
Description
The present application is based on and claims priority of Japanese
patent application No. 2004-36866 filed on Feb. 13, 2004, the
entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an expansion valve equipped in an
air conditioner of a car or the like for controlling the flow of
refrigerant supplied to an evaporator according to the temperature
of the refrigerant.
2. Description of the Related Art
This type of expansion valve is disclosed for example in the
following patent document, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
Publication No. 2000-304381.
The prior art expansion valve included a valve receive member, a
spring, an adjustment screw and so on, which required a large
number of components, so it was difficult to achieve the desired
reduction in weight and size of the expansion valve.
Furthermore, there was fear that the refrigerant might leak from
the valve chamber through the adjustment screw portion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above drawbacks, the present invention aims at
answering to the demands for reducing the size and weight of the
car air conditioner by providing an expansion valve having a
simplified structure and therefore requiring less assembling
steps.
The expansion valve according to the present invention comprises a
valve body, a power element portion disposed on an upper end of the
valve body for actuating a valve means in response to a
displacement of a diaphragm, and a spring disposed within a valve
chamber formed to a lower end of the valve body for adjusting a
valve opening of the valve means, wherein the spring is supported
by a sealing member inserted to an opening of the valve chamber and
fixed to the valve body via a crimping portion. The expansion valve
further has a stepped portion formed to the opening of the valve
chamber in the valve body, and the sealing member is inserted to
the stepped portion and fixed to position via the crimping
portion.
Moreover, the sealing member can be equipped with a tapered surface
that is pressed against the stepped portion of the valve chamber,
or with a seal fit to an outer circumference thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an expansion valve according to
the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the relevant portion of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the
present invention; and
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing yet another embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an expansion valve
according to the present invention.
The expansion valve, the whole of which being denoted by a
reference number 10, has a rectangular column shaped valve body 30
made of an aluminum alloy, which includes a passage 32 for the
refrigerant flowing in from the receiver toward the evaporator.
Passage 32 communicates via a valve chamber 35 and an orifice 32a
to an outlet port 321 opening toward the evaporator.
A spherical valve means 32b is supported on a supporting member 32c
inside the valve chamber 35. A sealing member 150 is inserted to an
opening 35a of the valve chamber 35, and a coil spring 32d is
disposed between the sealing member 150 and the supporting member
32c of the valve means 32b fixed to position by a crimping portion
K.sub.1 providing fixing via crimping, the coil spring biasing the
valve means 32b toward the orifice 32a.
The refrigerant returning from the evaporator is sent toward the
compressor through a passage 34.
A power element portion 36 for actuating the valve means is
attached to the upper portion of the valve body 30.
The power element portion 36 has an upper cover 36d and a lower
cover 36h, between which a diaphragm 36a is sandwiched. An upper
pressure actuated chamber 36b is formed between the diaphragm 36a
and the upper cover 36d, which is filled by an actuating gas
through a tube 36i.
The lower surface of the diaphragm 36a is supported by a stopper
member 312. The stopper member 312 has a large diameter portion 314
and a small diameter portion 315, between which a lower pressure
actuated chamber 36c is formed.
The lower cover portion 36h is fixed to the valve body 30 through a
screw thread portion 361.
The lower pressure actuated chamber 36c is communicated with
passage 34 via an opening 36e.
The actuating rod 316 inserted to the small diameter portion 315 of
the stopper member 312 also functions as a heat sensing rod for
transmitting the refrigerant temperature via the stopper member 312
to the upper pressure actuated chamber 36b.
The actuating rod 316 is passed through the center of the valve
body 30 and actuates the valve means 32b. A seal member 50 attached
to the actuating rod 316 is inserted to a bore 38 that communicates
with passage 34.
A snap ring 41' is used to restrict movement.
This sealing mechanism enables the refrigerant traveling toward the
evaporator and the refrigerant returning from the evaporator to be
separated completely.
The expansion valve 10 of the present invention is composed as
described above, and by the operation of the power element portion
36, the opening of the refrigerant passage between the valve means
32b and the orifice 32a is controlled so as to control the flow of
refrigerant.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the structure for attaching the
sealing member 150 to the valve chamber 35 of FIG. 1.
The sealing member 150 has a flat surface. An opening 35a of the
valve chamber 35 formed to the valve body 30 has a stepped portion
35x formed between the valve chamber 35. By pushing the sealing
member 150 into the opening 35a via the crimping portion K.sub.1, a
tight seal is formed with the stepped portion.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the
present invention.
A sealing member 250 has a tapered surface 35y formed to the upper
surface thereof. An opening 35a of the valve chamber 35 formed to
the valve body 30 has the stepped portion 35x formed between the
valve chamber 35. By pushing the sealing member 250 into the
opening 35a via the crimping portion K.sub.1, a tight seal S.sub.1
is formed with the stepped portion 35x.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing yet another embodiment of the
present invention.
A sealing member 350 has a seal 360 mounted to the outer
circumference thereof. The sealing member 350 is fit to the opening
35a of the valve chamber 35 via the crimping portion K.sub.1. The
sealing member 350 includes a circumferential groove 350x formed
radially into a circumferential surface 350y of the sealing member
350. The seal 360 is sized to be received by the circumferential
groove 350x in a close-fitting manner such that, when the sealing
member 350 with the seal 360 received by the circumferential groove
350x is fixed to the valve body 30, the seal 360 contacts a
circumferential inner wall surface 35x of the valve chamber 35. An
even more reliable seal is achieved by providing the seal 360.
* * * * *